Long-Awaited Northern Beaches Upgrade Moves Ahead

Premier David Crisafulli visited Mackay's Northern Beaches this week, confirming the long-awaited Mackay-Bucasia Road and Golf Links Road intersection upgrade had progressed to detailed design.  

“We said we'd do it, and we are,” Mr Crisafulli said.  

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The highly anticipated announcement comes as sweet relief for a lot of motorists, with this intersection seeing up to 30,000 vehicles pass every day, making it one of the most bottle-necked in the state.  

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“We can get anywhere in half an hour in Mackay, but then when you put in 24,000 to 30,000 vehicles passing one spot on a roundabout which is not working well, we need to change that,” said state member for Mackay, Nigel Dalton MP.  

The $20M upgrade will transform the busy roundabout with traffic signals on all four approaches, supported by CCTV and queue-detection technology designed to improve traffic flow during peak periods.  

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Additional turning lanes are also planned on Mackay-Habana Road, Mackay-Bucasia Road and Golf Links Road, with construction expected to begin early next year.

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“People will see shovels in the ground early next year after the wet season,” Mr Cristafulli said.  

“We want to deliver a project that a growing community needs, that it deserves, that's been crying out for the better part of a decade.”  

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Member for Whitsunday, Amanda Camm has been a long-time advocate for upgrading the intersection, first calling for funding while in opposition before including the project as part of the State Government's election commitment.  

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Throughout the planning process, Ms Camm also undertook community consultation, receiving more than 600 responses from Northern Beaches residents. Feedback from those surveys, alongside community meetings, helped push the project to the stage it’s at today.  

“I want to say thank you to the community and those particularly who are represented here today by Antoinette du Toit, a local resident,” Ms. Camm said.  

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“It’s through her advocacy, through our community's joint advocacy, that we are here today delivering upon our $20 million government election commitment to upgrade.”

For Northern Beaches residents like Antoinette, navigating the area's growing traffic has become an everyday frustration.

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“I think one of the biggest concerns for people is if there's an accident here, we can't get in or out,” Antoinette said.  

“They're [the State Government] listening to us, they see what we need and are actually progressing on it.”

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The project comes amid growing concern over the condition and capacity of regional Queensland roads, particularly the Bruce Highway.

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“It has been a national disgrace,” Mr Crisafulli said.

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“If you have a look at the infrastructure spend, then you realise how fair dinkum we are about it.  

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“We are unashamedly passionate about making sure that rural and regional Queenslanders get their fair share of what they haven’t for many years, that we're not backing away from doing projects right across the board.”

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See more photos here: www.mackayandwhitsundaylife.com/social-pics/long-awaited-northern-beaches-upgrade-moves-ahead

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